The newly constituted Department for Communities (DfC) in Northern Ireland is undertaking a public consultation on proposals to remove Ecclesiastical Exemption. Section 85(8) of the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 states that all listed places of worship are exempt from the requirement to obtain Listed Building Consent for ‘the demolition, alteration or extension of an ecclesiastical…
The Department for Communities (DfC) [formerly Department of the Environment] has published a consultation document outlining policy proposals to help provide strategic direction to the funding of the historic environment. It is proposed that the Historic Environment Fund 2016-2020 will encompass four key strands: Heritage Research, Heritage Regeneration, Heritage Repair and Heritage Revival. The reasons for…
DCLG opened a public consultation on 12 May with the purpose of strengthening local government transparency. The Government is seeking views on proposals to change the way that Local Authorities record details of their land and property assets, and publish information about their procurement, their contracts and the delivery of some of their services. The proposals…
As detailed in Update #319, the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee is conducting an inquiry into preserving and enhancing the UK's cultural heritage. The Countries of Culture inquiry is driven by concerns that local authority budget cuts are constraining the cultural offering in the regions. The Committee invites written submissions on the following…
The deadline is fast approaching for the Rural Planning Review, being undertaken by Defra and DCLG. As reported in Update #318, the consultation is addressed to a range of stakeholders, including individual users of the planning system and planning authorities. Amongst other aspects, responses are sought on: Types of development which would benefit from permitted…
A petition to parliament has been launched, by Adam Hamdy, calling on government to provide third-party right of appeal for England’s Parish Councils in the planning system. The petition reads: ‘The planning system is unfair. It is one of the few decision-making processes that gives no right of appeal to affected third parties. The government…
At the request of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Libraries Taskforce has developed draft proposals for the future of libraries, published on 23 March in Ambition for Public Libraries in England 2016-2021.The purpose of this document is to provide a focus for collaborative action, and a clear articulation of the government’s and Taskforce’s…
Planning Policy Wales (PPW) provides national planning policy supporting the protection of the historic environment through the planning system. The planning policy contained within chapter 6 has not substantially changed since the first version of PPW was published in 2002. Changes to the current Chapter 6 of PPW are proposed to ensure: national planning policy…
The 2016 National Historic Vehicle Survey, conducted on behalf of the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs [Alliance member], has now been launched. The survey aims to generate important insights into the sector with responses helping to shape the future for historic vehicles in the UK. The term historic vehicle is used to describe all…
The National Churches Trust [Alliance member] would like to know your thoughts about its existing grants programmes to help inform the support provided to the UK’s places of worship going forward. Should NCT continue as now? Or, should it change its emphasis? Your views, whether as previous grantee church, potential future applicant, and/or supporter of…
